Belkctob fob calculating machines



y 1936- E. v. GUSTAFSSON ET AL 2,043,261

SELECTOR FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 21, 192B 2Sheets-Sheet l E. v. GUSTAFSSON ET AL 2,048,261

SELECTOR FOR CALCULATING MACHINES July 21, 1936.

Original Filed Dec. 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 21, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE tafllilarilall Sweden o l ll Vallentuna,

tion Deeember :1, ms, Serialan l a No. 827,581. Divided and thisapplication liIareh14.1I32.8el-ialNo.m,84'l. InSweden December 1 Ilclahns.

This application is a division of our copending application, Serial No.327,587, filed December 21, 1928, now Patent No. 1,930,476, granted Oct.17, 1933.

The present invention relates to a selector for calculating machines.Selectors of this kind are generally provided with stopping members,sometimes alsocalled stop pins or stop tongues, which are set by meansof the numeral keys of the calculating machine and themselves serve asstops for the levers or mechanisms which operate the calculating membersproper. In order to render visible the figures set up in theselector,calculating machines hitherto known are often provided with a specialcounter which is operated by the stop members through the intermediaryof appropriate lever systems or the like.

According to the present invention the stop members, pins, tongues orthelike are provided at their ends with the same figure as corresponds withthe numeral key pressed down, the arrangement being such that the stopmembers with their figures will become visible, when the stop members orthe like are caused to project somewhat from the selector by pressingdown the corresponding numeral keys.

One preferred form of embodiment of the invention will be more fullydescribed in the following with reference to the accompanying drawingswhich refer to a calculating machine having ten keys only. v

Fig. 1 shows perspectively a calculating machine having an openingthrough which the stop members with their figures thereon becomevisible. Fig. 2 is an elevational front view of the calculating machinewith the front part of the casing broken away. Fig. 3 shows a lateralview of the selector, partly in section. Fig. 4 shows a longitudinalsection through the selector. Figs. 5 and 6 show a stop member or tonguein two different views.

The calculating machine is enclosed in a casing i which is provided withwindows 2 and I for the result register and the quotient register orhandle stroke counter, respectively. The casing is further provided witha special opening 4, through which the stop members I with the figuresat their free end become visible. The stop members shown in Fig. 1represent the figure 964. The main shaft 6 of the calculating machineprojects on the right hand side of the casing and is provided, in knownmanner, with a handle I which is adapted to be rocked to and fro forcarrying out a calculating operation. On a front board of so the casingare to be found the conventional numeral keys representing the numerals0 to 9 and several other keys for seiting the calculating machine foraddition, subtraction, multiplication and division operations.

The selector (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) consists of a frame which is constitutedby an upper arcuated plate I, a lower arcuated plate 9 and two endplates II and ii. The frame supports two pairs of gliding rollers i2, i2and l4, ii, the upper pair i2, is of which is adapted to roll on anupper guiding bar it, while the lower pair l4, I is adapted to roll onva lower guiding bar i1. The arcuated plates 8 and 9 are provided withrows of slots, the slots in the lower plate 9 registering with the slotsin the upper plate 8. Each row comprises, seen from the key board, tenslots behind each other (Fig. 3), and the number of rows of slotsdepends on the desired capacity of the calculating machine. In thepresent case (Figs. 2 and 4), nine such rows of slots are arranged. Ineach of these pairs of slots formed in the said manner in the plates 8and 9, a stop member 5 is inserted and adapted to slide therein. A stopmember .or tongue provided with the figure I is shown on a larger scalein Figs. 5 and 6. Each stop member or tongue has a lateral shoulder I9,with which it normally rests on the lower plate 9 in such a manner thatthe upper edge of the stop member lies flush with the outer surface ofthe upper plate 8. The stop member or tongue is further provided, forinstance by way of stamp ing, with a lateral projection 20 and anopening 2i formed by such stamping. In this connection it is to bementioned that in Fig. 2 the tongues having the numeral I are visible,while the other tongues having the figures 2 to 9 are to be found behindthe first named tongues. The section shown in Fig. 4 is taken betweenthe tongues having the figures 4 and the tongues having the figures 5.The tongues extend through the selector in radial direction with respectto a point of rotation 22 (Fig. 3), about which a member 23 for settingthe calculating mechanism proper (not shown) may be rocked. This member23 is rocked to and fro, when operating the handle I, by means ofappropriate devices which do not form a part of the present inventionand therefore are not shown. The member 23 has a finger-like extension24 which is adapted to move through the openings 2i in all those tongues5, which have not been operated by the numeral keys. When, however, atongue is pressed out by a numeral key in radial direction, for instancethe first tongue reckoned from the left in Fig. 3 and indicated bydotted lines. or the first tongue to the left shown in Fig. 4, thefinger-like extension 23 will abut with its front end the full material23 of the tongue below the opening 2i, so that the tongue serves as stopmeans for the calculating member 23 and in this manner causes the propersetting of the calculating member in correspondence to the numeral keypressed down.

The tongues are pressed out by means of the following mechanism. At anintermediate wall 23 in the interior of the calculating machine abracket 2'! is fixed. This bracket has an arcuated ride 21a supportingten levers 23, one for each tongue in the same row. Each lever has ahammer-like projection 3i which is arranged just outside of the lowerend of each tongue. The

other free end lie of the lever 23 supports pivotally a rod 23 which ispivoted to the corresponding numeral key. For the sake of clearness onerod only has been shown, and this is supposed ,to. be connected with thenumeral key 33 for the figure "1. The other rods are shown only partly.When a numeral key, for instance the key 33, is pressed down, the lever23 is swung, with the ridge 21a as pivot, in clockwise direction,whereby the hammer 3l presses the corresponding tongue upwards. At thesame time the selector is caused in a manner known per se to move a stepto the left. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the key 33 has been pressed downthree times, so that the figure 111 will appear. When now thecalculating machine is operated by means of the handle I, this figure111 will be transferred to the result register 32 in a manner lcnown perse and not forming a part of the present invention.

When the selector is moved stepwise to the left, the tongue which hasbeen pressed out, glides with its lateral extension 20 upon a rod 33which is fixed to the left side wall 33 of the calculating machine. Theleft side plate I. of the selector is provided with holes 33 which serveas guiding means for the rod 33, when the selector moves to the left(see Figs. 3 and 4). For each series of tongues a rod 33 is provided, sothat ten such rods exist.

When the selector upon the completion of a calculating operation isagain moved to its initial position (to the right in Figs. 2 and 4), thetongues pressed out glide down from the rods 33 and fall by their ownweight into their initial position, that is to say they rest with theirnotches I! on the upper side of the lower plate 3 of the selector. Aswill be seen from Fig. 4, eight such tongues have already attained theinitial position, while the last or ninth tongue still rests on its rod33.

If for any reason the tongue should not automatically return to itsinitial position, which may easily occur for the last tongue at theright hand side of Figure 3, inasmuch as its return movement must beeiIected approximately in horizontal direction, such tongues arecompulsorily pressed back during the return of the selector frame to itsnormal position.

A plate 33 of the same arcuated shape as the upper plate 3 of theselector is pivoted to two brackets 33 and 33 fixed to the right handside wall 31 of the machine, in such a manner that the plate normallyrests closely on the upper plate 3 of the selector. At its free(left'hand side) end the plate is bent upwards in order to form aninclined surface 33. At the return movement of the selector the tonguespressed out engage this inclined surface, and this engagement isgenerally sufficient to press the tongues back to the initial position.It may,

however. that this pressure not always is suflicient, because the plate33 acts on the tongues only by its own weight. In order to compulsorilyreturn the tongues, the plate 33 is provided near its pivoted end withan extension 3i projecting downwardly. When a tongue is not moved backby the plate, it will lift the plate by engaging the inclined surface 33thereof. At the extreme end of its return stroke the selector engageswith its right hand. side. end wall H said extension 3| on the plate 33which by this means will be comphulsorily pressed against the uppersurface of e selector plate 3, whereby tongues which still may beprojecting beyond the upper plate 3 are pressed back to the initialposition. It will be understood that there is a slight rebound movementof the selector frame, from its extreme end position towards the right,before the retaining pawl of the step-by-step mechanism engages with thefirst tooth of the rack. This excess movement towards the right, whichiscustomary in the similar carriage mechanisms of typewriters, permitsthe selector to force the return of all of the tongues 3 to normalposition without, however, preventing the subsequent displacement of thefirst tongue 3 into operative position by a numeral key. For a moredetailed description of the mechanism for effecting-the step-by-step andthe return movement of the selector carriage, reference is made to theaforesaid Patent No. 1,980,475.

On account ofthe fact that the figures provided on the tongues are madevisible in a simple manner immediately upon the tongues being op-Zerated by actuating a numeral key, the important advantage is gainedthat faults which may depend on some faultiness in counters which havebeen utilized in calculating machines hitherto known, are entirelyavoided, and on the other hand faults whichare caused by inadvertentlyoperating a wrong key may be immediately observed and rectified, beforethe numeral in question is introduced into the calculating membersproper of the machine.

-What we claim is:

1. In a calculating machine, the combination with a machinecasingprovided with an opening, and numeral keys, of a selector withinsaid casing. and pr ressively movable into view through saidopeninguponoperation of said keys; said selector comprising a. frame, controlmembers movably supported insaid frame, said control members each beingprovided with a numeral at an end portion thereof and the said endportions being normally concealed within said selector, key-actuatedmeans for moving said control members to project the numeral-bearingportion thereof into view outside said selector, and means forsupporting the key-projected control members-in projected position uponmovement of the selector frame.

2. In a calculating machine, the combination with a machine casingprovided with an opening, and numeral keys, of a selector within saidcasing and progressively movable into view through said opening uponoperation of said keys; said selector comprising a frame, controlmembers movably supported in said frame, said control members each beingprovided with a numeral at an end portion'thereof and the said endportions being normally concealed within said selector, key-actuatedmeans for moving said control members to project the numeralbea'ringportion thereof into'view outside said selector, and stationary relativeto said selector frame for supporting the key-projected control membersin projected position upon movement of the selector frame.

3. In a calculating machine, the combination with a machine casingprovided with an opening, and numeral keys, of a selector within saidcasing adjacent said opening; said selector comprising a slotted frame,control members movably supported on said frame and each provided with anumber at the end thereof adjacent the opening in the casing, saidcontrol members being adapted to enter slots in said frame upon relativelongitudinal movement of said control members and said frame,key-actuated means for selectively projecting towards said casingopeningthose control members corresponding to a desired numerical value,means for retaining the projected control members in projected position,and means operative upon the actuation of a key to move said selectorframe into exposed position through the opening of said casing, saidselector frame including means for concealing the numeral-indicatingends of the non-projected control members from view through said casingopening, whereby the numeral-indicating ends of only the projectedcontrol members are exposed for view above said concealing means.

4. In a calculating machine, the combination with a machine casingprovided with an opening, and numeral keys, of a selector within saidcasing adjacent said opening; said selector comprising a frame, controlmembers movably mounted in said frame, said control members each havingavalue-indicating end portion normally located within said selectorframe, keyactuated means for moving said control members to project thesaid end portions thereof to the exterior of the selector frame, therebyto set up a numerical value for controlling the operation of thecalculating machine, means actuated upon the operation of said numberkeys to move said selector frame, and means stationary relative to saidselector for supporting the key-projected control members in projectedposition upon movement of the selector frame, whereby the numericalvalue set upon said selector is displayed at said casing opening.

5. Ina calculating machine, a casing provided with an opening, numeralkeys, and a selector within said casing and movable upon operation ofsaid keys; said selector comprising an armate frame, control membersmounted for radial movement in said frame and each havingvavalue-indicating number at its outer end, keyactuated means for radiallymoving the desired of into view outside said selector, and meansstationary relative to'said frame for supporting the projected controlmembers with the valueindicating ends thereof visible through saidcasing opening.

6. In a calculating machine, numeral keys, a selector mounted in saidmachine and including a frame movable upon operation of said keys,

control members movably mounted in said frame, means for actuating saidcontrol members upon operation of said keys, means stationary relativeto said frame for supporting the actuated control members upon movementof said frame, and means actuated by said frame during its return toinitial position for positively returning the actuated control membersto their original positions.

7. In a calculating machine, numeral keys, a selector mounted in saidmachine and including a frame movable upon operation of said keys,control" members movably mounted in said frame, key-operated means forprojecting the end portions of selected control members to the exteriorof the frame, means stationary relative to the frame for supporting theselected control members in projected position upon movement oftheframe, and a pivotally supported member for returning the projectedcontrol members to initial position, said member being actuated by theframe during the return thereof to its initial position,

8. In a calculating machine. numeral keys, a selector mounted in saidmachine and including a frame movable upon operation of said keys,control members movably mounted in said frame, key-operated means forprojecting the end portions of selected control members to the exteriorof the frame, means stationary relative to the frame for supporting theselected control memcontrol members to project the outer ends therebersin projected position upon movement of the frame, and a pivotallysupported member for returning the projected control members to initialposition during the return of the frame to its initial position, saidpivotally supported member having an extension adapted to project intothe path of movement of the frame as it approaches its originalposition.

ERNST VALFRID GUBTAFSSON. GUSTAF HILARIUS HELLGREN.

